Sanitary toothpick holder



Nov. 16 1926.

L. J. MccRoRY ET AL SANITARY TO OTHPICK vflilOLDER Filed July, y192'@ yA Thejrttarrzey.

Fatented Nov. i6, 1926.

narran sra'rss PATENT Erica LOUIS JOHNVFICCRORY AND RALPH lEARL BAKER,OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SANTARY TOOTHPICK HOLDER;

Application liled July 9.

Our invention consists of a sanitary toothpick holder and has for itsobject the provision of a means for delivering toothpicks in a safe,sanitary and economical cribed of a means of providing toothpicks forremoval therefrom without the interposition of human hands, therebyeffecting said delivery in a sanitary manner.

Another object of our invention is to provide, in a device ofthecharacter described,

means whereby said toothpicks will be prevented from jamming in saidholder', thereby promoting the delivery of said toothpicks in a uniformmanner.

lilith the above and other objects inA view, the invention. consists ofthe combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, it being understood that within the scope of what is claimed,changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made,withouty de'- parting from the spirit of our invention.

ln the drawings- Figure l is a sectional view o f our inventiontransversely through the delivery chute and reservoir thereof;

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line 2 2 of Figure. l;

Figure 3 is a detail of the feeder arm.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, toothpicks are placed inthe receptacle B and are delivered through the chute A. lVhen atoothpick such as M is removed from the said chute A, said chuteoscillates ou the trunnions l, rotatably mounted in the container H,communicating its motion to the link C by mea-ns of the pin 9, the otherend of the link being rotatably attached to the crank G by means of thein 8, said crank G being mounted on the shaft 7 journaled in the bracketl() supported by 1926. Serial No. 121,314.

the container H. The relative location of the pins 8 and 9 and link C issuch that about ten degreesrotation of the chute A will causeaboutninety degrees rotation of the crank G aboutv its shaft 7. The pinsl and 5 are afliXed at opposite points on thecrank G, vengagingrespectively in the slot 3 provided in the linger E and the slot 6provided in the linger D so as to permit vertical movement of thelingers D andv E slidably positioned in the bracket l0 supported by thecontainer H. Attached to the linger E by means of the arm 2 is thefeeder F having provided on its ripper side a plurality of serrations 13and on the discharge side the cam face 12,v said feeder F beingpositioned in the slots A17 provided in the licor of the reservoir B so,as to thereby form the feeder lips ll. .As the crank Gr rotates asheretofore described, the linger D rises and the finger E lowers so asto permit a toothpick such as J to pass into the position as shown at Land resting against the linger D, the said movement of the saidtoothpick being aided 'by the cam face 12. `Further downward ,movementof the linger E causes the feeder F attached to said linger, to passbelow the said feeder lips ll so as to leave a row of toothpicks similarto those shown as at K resting on said feeder lip, the action of gravitycausing lone of the said toothpicks K to pass through the opening 16provided in the front wall of the said reservoir B so as to takeapproximately the position as at J, said opening 16 being y formed withthe notches 18 so as to permit the feeder F to project upwardly therein.lVhen the toothpick M is entirely removed from the chute A, said chuteis caused by gravity to oscillate about the trunnion l in the reversemanner to that heretofore idescribed, so as to thereby cause the fingerD to lower and release the toothpick L into the chute A, said toothpickbeing aided in its movement by the rising finger E, said finger at thesame time forcing the toothpick J into its position asshown. At the sametime the feeder F rises into the reservoir B, agitating the toothpickstherein and arranging the bottom row thereof in order as shown at K,

The chute A is shaped so as to permit one end of a toothpick such as L,as said toothpick is delivered therein, to have a freer fall than theother end; atvthe same time the said chute is sloped downwardly and toone side so as to cause said free end to advance ahead of the other endof said toothpick, thereby causing said toothpick to assume the positionas shown at M, said toothpick being restrained from complete emergencefrom said chute by means of the spring la positioned in the said chtiteat the delivery end thereof.

In the preferred embodiment of our invention, as shown, we haveindicated two feeder' mechanisms comprising the cranks G, fingers D andE, feeders F, brackets l() and associated parts as substantiallyindicated in .i Figure 2, the motion ofthe first said crank (l rotatablyattached to the link() being communicated to the other crank (i by theshaft 7, but itis obvious that ,more or less such mechanismsmay be usedat the option of theperson constructing the device.

XVe claim: Y Y

1. In a sanita ry toothpick holder, the combination of a container, atoothpick reservoir positioned in said container, a delivery chuteoscillatably mounted on trunnions positioned in said container, `saidchute being sloped downwardly and to one side and having pro vided atits delivery end a spring whereby to prevent the complete emergence oftooth picks therefrom, delivery lips provided on the lower portion ofsaid reservoir and registering with said delivery chute, mutually reeiprocating lingers positioned intermediate said vdelivery lips, feederscooperating with said fingers and positioned rearwardlyithereof, so asto be capable ofprojecting` upwardly into said reservoir, sald feedershaving provided on theirupper side `a plurality of sers.'

ations and having provided on the side to wards the said fingersacamshaped face, and means for communicating the oscillatory motion of saidchuteto said reciprocating ngers and said feeders. y

2. In a sanitary toothpickholder, the combination of a container, adelivery chute oscillatably mounted on trunnions positioned in saidcontainer, said chute `being slopedv downwardly and to one side andhaving provided atits delivery end afspring whereby to prevent thecomplete emergenceof toothnicks therefrom, alink pivotally mounted onthe back of saidchute, a bracket supported by the said container, acrankrotatably mounted onAsaid bracket, said link being piving fingers'positioned vertically in saidV bracket one in front of the other andhaving provided at their lower end slots suitably to engage said pins,whereby the said rotation of said crank may be converted into thevertically reciprocating.motion of said fingers so that as one lingergoes up the vother comes down` and means for delivering toothpicks tosaid fingers, substantially as de scribed, so that the mutuallyreciprocating action of said lingers will cause ,said toothpicks to bedelivered to said chute.

. In a device of the character described, a container, a-delivery chuteVoscillatably mounted on trunnions positioned in said container, atoothpick reservoir positioned in said container suitably to registerwith said chute,v delivery lips provided on the bottom of saidreservoir, said lips being provided with slots extending rearwardlytherefrom and into the floor of the said reservoir, mutuallyreciprocating fingers positioned one rearwardly the other in said slots,a feeder positioned behind the saidrearward finger and affixed theretobut having its top surface above the top of said rearward finger, `andalso having provided its top surface at a slope corresponding to theslope of the floor of said reservoir, said top surface having providedtherein a plurality of serratious of .a size corresponding to atoothpick, said Louis Joint Meononv. RALPH man nanna.

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